Original practice exercises
CASPer Confidentiality Questions: 5 Practice Scenarios
For a CASPer confidentiality question, explain what information needs protection, whether the person has agreed to sharing it, and who needs to know for a specific reason. “I would keep it confidential” can be incomplete when a task must still be coordinated or an urgent safety concern needs help. These five exercises let you practise that decision.
How to answer CASPer confidentiality questions
Make the disclosure decision visible. Start with what the prompt establishes, then name the missing fact that would change your action. Knowing someone's situation does not automatically make you the right person to explain it to others.
- Information: what specific detail is private, and how did you obtain it?
- Permission: did the person agree to this purpose and this audience?
- Need: can the task be completed using less information?
- Role: who has responsibility for the decision or incident process?
- Urgency: does a credible immediate safety concern require prompt help?
This is CasperCoach's editorial decision aid. Confidentiality is a practice theme here, not a promised section of your assessment or a separate official score. The examples use everyday settings and do not assume a particular country's privacy law or professional reporting duty. For broader competing values, work through the ethical dilemma questions; for delivering a difficult message, use the empathy exercises.
1. An attendance list becomes a publicity list
Original practice prompt
You volunteer at a community workshop. Participants gave their names and email addresses to receive session reminders. An organizer asks you to send the list to a sponsor who wants to promote a product. The organizer says the sponsor helped pay for the event.
- How would you respond to the request?
- What would you do if the list has already been emailed to the sponsor?
Compare sample answers for 1. an attendance list becomes a publicity list
A response to improve
I would send it because the sponsor paid for the workshop. Attendees probably expect to receive advertising.
Stronger sample answers
Question 1: I would pause the transfer and check what participants were told when their information was collected. Permission for reminders does not automatically mean permission for a sponsor's marketing. I would explain that concern to the organizer and ask the responsible coordinator to confirm the approved process. An alternative could be inviting attendees to opt in to sponsor updates themselves, without giving the sponsor the attendance list.
Question 2: I would notify the coordinator promptly with the facts: what was sent, to whom, and when. I would ask them to follow the organization's incident process, including contacting the recipient to stop further use and address the copy already received. I would not quietly delete my sent email and assume the problem is solved. The responsible person should determine any participant notification and prevention steps.
Why this reasoning is stronger
The answer checks the purpose of consent, offers a workable alternative, and addresses an actual disclosure rather than hiding it. Sponsorship does not itself establish permission to use personal information.
Change one fact: Participants explicitly opted in to this sponsor's updates, but the list also contains private access requests. Which information would you exclude and why?
2. A teammate explains an absence in confidence
Original practice prompt
A teammate tells you privately that a family difficulty is affecting their availability and asks you not to share the details. Your group has a deadline tomorrow. Another member asks why the teammate has missed meetings and suggests telling everyone what you know.
- What would you say to the group member?
- How would you help the group finish without revealing the private explanation?
Compare sample answers for 2. a teammate explains an absence in confidence
A response to improve
I would explain the whole situation so everyone understands and stops criticizing them.
Stronger sample answers
Question 1: I would say I am not comfortable sharing someone's private circumstances. I would avoid confirming details or inviting guesses. I can acknowledge the practical issue we all see: work remains unfinished and the deadline is close. I would encourage a conversation with the teammate about what they can contribute, without treating an explanation of their personal life as the price of receiving help.
Question 2: I would check privately what the teammate can realistically complete and what, if anything, they want communicated. We could agree on a task update such as a revised availability or handoff, without the personal background. I would help the group identify essential work and a fair redistribution, then involve the supervisor if an extension or scope decision needs their authority. Privacy does not require pretending there is no deadline problem.
Why this reasoning is stronger
The response separates necessary task information from the sensitive story behind it. It supports the teammate while recognizing the effect on everyone else's work.
Change one fact: The teammate authorizes you to tell the supervisor, but not the entire group. How would you keep that permission limited to its intended audience?
4. A private disclosure raises an immediate safety concern
Original practice prompt
At a student event, a friend tells you privately that another attendee threatened to hurt them tonight. They ask you to keep it secret because they fear making the situation worse. You do not know whether the other attendee is still nearby.
- How would you respond to your friend?
- What information would you share when seeking help?
Compare sample answers for 4. a private disclosure raises an immediate safety concern
A response to improve
I promised to keep it private, so I would tell nobody and hope they can avoid the other person.
Stronger sample answers
Question 1: I would take the concern seriously, ask whether they are safe right now, and stay with them in a safer place if possible. I would explain that I want to respect their privacy but cannot promise secrecy when someone may be in immediate danger. I would seek appropriate urgent help, such as event security or emergency assistance if needed, rather than confront the person myself. Where possible, I would involve my friend in deciding how we contact help without delaying a necessary response.
Question 2: I would share the specific threat, relevant timing and location, and information needed to protect the person with the appropriate responders. I would distinguish what my friend reported from what I personally witnessed. I would not broadcast the story to the student group or include unrelated private information. After the immediate issue, I would check what support and follow-up my friend wants.
Why this reasoning is stronger
The response recognizes urgency, explains the limit of secrecy, and shares information for a specific protective purpose. It does not turn a safety concern into general permission to disclose everything.
Change one fact: Your friend clarifies that there was no threat; they are upset about a rude remark. How would this change the urgency, audience, and need for consent?
5. A reference request includes private background
Original practice prompt
You lead a volunteer team. A partner organization asks for a reference for a former volunteer. You can describe their reliability, but you also know they took time away for a personal reason they disclosed in confidence. The requester asks why they left and says details would help assess their suitability.
- How would you handle the request?
- What would you do if you cannot give an accurate reference without explaining a gap?
Compare sample answers for 5. a reference request includes private background
A response to improve
I would share everything because the requester needs the full picture to make a good decision.
Stronger sample answers
Question 1: I would first confirm that the volunteer authorized a reference and check my organization's process. I would describe relevant work I directly observed, keeping private personal circumstances out of the response. If asked why they left, I would say I cannot speak to private background and suggest asking the applicant about their availability. I would not imply that their personal difficulty is evidence of poor performance.
Question 2: I would be clear about the period and duties I can comment on rather than invent an explanation or make a misleading statement. If further context is genuinely necessary, I would ask the volunteer what they authorize me to share and with whom. If I still cannot provide an accurate reference within those limits, I would explain the limit of my reference or refer the request to the responsible coordinator.
Why this reasoning is stronger
The response protects private background while remaining truthful about the evidence it can provide. Permission for a reference is not automatically permission for every personal detail.
Change one fact: The volunteer authorizes one specific sentence about their absence. How would you avoid expanding that permission into a longer personal account?
Use the samples to improve your next answer
Answer before opening the samples. Practise a typed pair within 3.5 minutes or one spoken answer within 60 seconds, following the official standard-format timing. Written prompts with spoken answers are delivery drills; they do not reproduce video stimulus or a full test.
During review, underline every proposed disclosure. For each, ask: what would I share, with whom, and for what purpose? Then underline every promise of secrecy. Does the promise leave room to respond appropriately if circumstances change?
Before: “I would tell the manager because they should know.” After: “I would ask the teammate what task update they want shared. I would tell the manager the availability and handoff needed for tomorrow's deadline, without sharing the private family explanation.” The revision identifies necessary information and an audience without leaving the work problem unresolved.
Try the changed-fact question next. A new consent decision or a new safety fact should change your reasoning. If it does not, check whether your answer is relying on an absolute rule. Continue with the free CASPer practice test to combine privacy decisions with other scenario types.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I always keep a confidence in a CASPer scenario?+
Respect privacy, but explain how urgency, safety, your role, and the appropriate process affect your next step. Avoid both an unconditional promise of secrecy and unnecessary broad disclosure.
Do I need to cite privacy legislation?+
These exercises do not require legal knowledge. Explain consent, purpose, role limits, and proportionate action using the facts provided. Do not invent a legal obligation when the prompt does not establish one.
Can I share information without naming the person?+
Removing a name does not necessarily prevent identification. Consider the surrounding details and audience, and whether sharing is necessary at all.
Are these official or fourth-quartile answers?+
No. They are original teaching examples with qualitative reasoning notes. They are not real or recalled test content, have not been officially rated, and do not predict a quartile.
Sources and scope
Timing checked October 3, 2026 against Acuity Insights' format and length guidance. The scenarios and decision aid are original AI-assisted CasperCoach teaching material. Sample reasoning illustrates possible responses rather than an official rubric. CasperCoach is an independent preparation service.